The necessity of inclusion: An examination of the relationship between primary and secondary DNA Data Bank offences in Canada

The present study evaluates the relationship between primary and secondary designated DNA data bank offences. The DNA Data Bank in Canada records the DNA of offenders convicted of certain designated offences. When an offender is convicted of a primary offence, there is a presumption that their DNA will be automatically entered into the DNA data bank, and the onus is on defence counsel to demonstrate that the DNA should not go into the data bank. The DNA of offenders convicted of secondary offences, however, is only entered at the discretion of a judge.; This study examines the possible escalation or de-escalation of offenders who commit primary or secondary offences. A random sample of 846 criminal offenders in Canada were selected using an IBM parsing program that randomly selected these offenders from Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) records. Of these 846 offenders, 19.2 percent had committed a designated primary or secondary offence.; The sample was further analyzed using the Canadian Criminal Name Index, within CPIC. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...